Knight Fall
by girlstarfish
Summary: (Title changed from A Tale of Knights) A journey into the mysterious out-lands pulls together a familar groups of knights, a lady, squire, guide and a whatever? Their mission? To reach the fey court from which only one person has ever returned.
1. Duo.

A TALE OF KNIGHTS ****

KNIGHT FALL.

**By girl_starfish**

Duo's POV.

Ironclaw is a boundary village, way out on the edge where civilization meets wilderness. As so, it doesn't really fit either category. Although it has all the trimmings of a rural town, the buildings that line the town's main street are well battered, the tools used to build them a little bit more rough and ready than the townsfolk conscious of such things would like. Men wear weapons all the time. Women wear them too, only there's not so many of them out here. Not being misogynistic or nothing, just that the only people who live this far out are adventure seekers, bandits, or hunters, none of which occupations are particularly attractive to women. 

Or at least not the women I've met.

The other giveaway is the creatures. So, I've been told even a great metropolitan city like London isn't free from pigs roaming the streets and the cats still come and go as they please. But you won't find many other places in this island where people have to lock down their windows every night to guard against pixies. And trolls aren't that uncommon either. And you practically trip over a goblin every time you go outside.

I've been told I fit right in.

I chose to take that as a compliment.

The Loaded Gundam was in full swing. The beaten up jukebox was on full volume, the place was packed, and I was having a blast. My long braid spun behind me as I danced, singing along to the music.

"I've got my mind set on you, I've got my mind set on you."

Those of the patrons not dancing pretty much ignored me. I guess I'm something of a fixture here. The only stares I got were from ignorant in-landers who didn't think guys were supposed to have hair that long -

"I've got my mind set on - ow!"

I was jerked back suddenly by a sudden pressure on my braid. Spinning around to angrily confront whoever had the nerve to use my hair as a leash I was confronted with a spiky fringe and a very familiar green eye.

"Trowa?"

He gave my braid one last tug. "Finally. I've been trying to get your attention for a good fifteen minutes -"

"Trowa!" I squealed, throwing myself bodily at him. "Long time no see!"

"Yes. Now this is important -"

"What have you been doing with yourself?" I proclaimed, loudly enough to get the attention of everyone at the bar. "You're skin and bones! Then again, you always were -"

"Duo -" Trowa sounded pained.

I gave him a cautious sniff and frowned as my suspicions were borne out.

"I thought so! You're sober!"

"Duo, I don't have time for this -"

"Hey! Can we get some beers over here?" 

There was a cautious movement behind him and I got a glimpse of wide blue eyes and blonde hair. 

"Uh - is this him?"

"Yes." Trowa sounded resigned. "Duo, meet Quatre."

"Hey there," I grinned. "Nice to meet you. Oh sorry, forgot my manners." I turned back to the bar and bellowed. "Make that three beers!"

"Make that none."

I squawked as I suddenly found myself scooped over Trowa's shoulder.

"We have some business to attend to," he said to the barman. "We'll be back later."

The barman just nodded, as if he saw his patrons get carried out of the bar like this everyday. Then again, it takes a lot to surprise an out-lander.

"So Trowa," I said as we continued on our way out of the bar. "I had no idea you swung this way."

"Shut up, Duo."

"Just think of all the time we wasted!" I continued. "Well, no better time to make up for it. Whose place, yours or mi- mmph."

"Quiet, idiot."

I was forced to be. Trowa had pushed my braid into my mouth.

"Um, Trowa, what did he mean, swung that way?" Quatre asked.

Trowa put me down. "I have no idea," he said, blushing. 

I frowned at that. Trowa so knew what I meant - so why would he be blushing, unless - I cackled as an explanation presented itself. 

"A threesome? Trowa, you have hidden depths!"

"A three -" Quatre started to ask. I never got the rest of the question for the very good reason that Trowa chose then to upend me into a barrel of water.

"What was that for?" I spluttered as I resurfaced angrily.

"Are you sober?" Trowa asked. 

"What kind of dumb question is that?" I demanded changing my mind as he looked as though he'd duck me again. "I'm sober! I'm sober!"

"Good. Now dry off." He threw a towel at me.

I grumbled to myself as I obeyed.

Trowa and Quatre watched me. "You didn't say he was young."

"It doesn't make any difference," Trowa said simply. "He's the best there is."

"Damn right I am!" I said proudly. "At what?"

Quatre and Trowa sighed. "Let's go."

"Going where? Hey, can I get an explanation here? Come on - just a little hint?" I ran after them.

"We need a pathfinder through the out-land." Quatre explained. "Trowa's our guide and he said there was no way we could get through the out-land without one."

"True," I nodded. "The out-land is dangerous for those who don't know it."

"The party is not that big. Two knights, a lady, Quatre and me."

"Transport?" I asked.

"Horses," Trowa explained. 

I nodded. "At least they're sensible in-landers."

"Wait till you meet them. They're serious. Please . . . don't be yourself."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Thanks for your confidence."

"I think you're being over cautious," Quatre offered. "I'm don't think milord knights will find any trouble with the pathfinder, especially if he's as good as you say."

"There!" I beamed at Trowa. "Nothing to worry about!"

Trowa said nothing, just tugged on my braid again.

"Oi! That is not what that is there for!"

I sulked as Trowa led me to where his clients were. They'd chosen to camp outside the village. Afraid of thievery probably - I'd never seen horses so fine, or equpment like theirs. It made me drool, just thinking about what I could do with junk like theirs -

Trowa pulled my braid again. "Don't steal anything."

I gave him an offended look, nursing my braid. "Would I do such a thing?"

"You won't if you want to live. A pickpocket tried them on in Varsmouth. He's lucky to still have his hand."

The pretty equipment seemed to have lost its allure. "I'll remember that."

"Good." Trowa patted me on the back, his visible eye meeting Quatre's. "He's got fey blood," he explained. "They can't help but be attracted to other people's property. Especially if its shiny." 

"Look who's talking," I muttered.

"What?"

"You're at least a quarter fey," I informed him loftily. "I'd say one of your grandparents was a half or full blood, a Vascarni."

Trowa stared at me. "How did you know that?"

I shrug. "Like you said, I'm the best. No one knows fey like me."

Trowa gave me a long look. He was about to say something when a grumpy voice interrupted us. 

"What's this?" 

He was about the same age as Trowa and me but the white tunic he wore with the red dragon on said quite clearly he was a knight. If that didn't, the gun he wore at his side did. Only knights were allowed to carry weapons that openly.

He gave Trowa a suspicious look as he continued. "I thought we were clear. No visitors." 

"Duo isn't a visitor. He's a pathfinder. I suggest you hire him if you want to make it through the out-land safely."

"Gosh, thanks for the glowing recommendation Trowa," I said grinning.

If anything the frown on the knight's face deepened. "We did not discuss this. Heero!"

The other knight joined us, along with a woman wearing a simply cut but elegant blouse and trousers. None of them were much older than me . . . but they still managed to make me feel very young and foolish.

"What seems to be the matter here?" The second knight, Heero, said, sending a questioning look between me and the first knight. "Explain, Wufei."

Wufei pointed at me. "Our guide wants to hire him as pathfinder. This was not in the agreement."

"True." The second knight nodded. "We hired you to guide us, and you only." 

"That was before you told me where in the out-land you wanted to go," Trowa said. "I'm used to taking parties to the sulphur pits or the black forest. I've never been right into the centre before . . . and I've known only person to ever have made it to the Fey court."

"And who would that be?" Heero demanded.

"That would be me," I said brightly. "I'm Duo."

Dark eyes fastened on me. "Duo," he repeated.

"Yup. I spend a lot of time in the out-land, practically live there."

"And you can take us to the fey court?"

"Sure. For the right amount, of course."

The first knight snorted. "Of course."

What tried to eat him? I glared at him. 

"No one knows the fey like Duo does," Trowa said quietly but firmly. "As far as I know he's never lost a client."

"Not even when I've been trying to," I joked. I got three equally blank looks. Well, someone forgot to invite the fairy godmother with a sense of humour to their christenings.

"What is your involvement with him?" The first knight demanded.

"About five years ago my family and I were travelling through this district. I was raised by a band of travelling carnival people, and we were misdirected into the out-land. We wandered for days until Duo found us and guided us out safely. We found out years later that no-one had got as deep into the out-land as we had and survived. If it hadn't been for Duo -"

"I do my best," I said modestly.

The knights exchanged looks. "Duo, would you mind if we discussed this matter privately?" Heero asked.

I shrugged. "Sure. I'll just go for a walk."

I sauntered away, my braid swinging . . . then ducked behind a tree and activated the listening spell I'd cast while talking to them.

"You think we should hire him?"

"I would not have brought him to you if we did not need him," Trowa said. 

"He's a friend of yours," Wufei said, still suspicious. Man, who got on his case?

"He saved my life years ago. Of course he's my friend."

"Would you trust him?" Heero asks.

"With my life, yes. With my valuables - probably not."

I probably deserved that.

"You said he was fey, right?" Quatre piped up. "What does that mean?"

"Fey-blooded." Trowa clarified. "That's what creatures of magic are known as - the fey. Anything with fey blood is also fey, regardless of how much is in their ancestry and whether or not they appear fey."

"Does that include you?"

"My fey blood is not strong enough for me to consider myself really fey," Trowa answered. "But to in-landers like yourselves, I would probably be considered fey."

"And Duo?"

"No one seems to know."

"What do you mean by that?" What, Wufei again with the suspicious remarks? I'm beginning to think he doesn't like me.

"Well, Duo just comes and goes. He always has. No one seems to know much of his past."

"Why not?"

"Around here, so close to the out-land, it's considered rude to inquire into other people's ancestry too much. Other people have abilities we don't understand, we accept that and let it be."

"And you're saying Duo has these abilities? Magic?"

"He must," Trowa said. "He's been navigating these parts alone since he was a child. I've never seen him use magic but he must have something."

"I see. We will consider this further. Thank-you, Mr. Barton."

Trowa nodded and bowed, before leaving the group.

I upped my spell as they grouped into closer.

"What do you think, Heero?" the lady - well, girl really, asked the second knight.

The first knight snorted, interrupting. "It's an obvious set-up. I say we don't take him."

Wow - big surprise there.

"Barton has a point though - he didn't know we intended to go to the court when we hired him."

"I still say we don't trust him. You heard what our guide said - he may not be human."

"Wufei, the fey aren't human either and we've come to look for them."

"I thought he was too loud. His behaviour seems a little . . . off."

"Trowa did mention something about him being a thief -"

"Little good if we get to the fey court without our goods -"

"There's nowhere he could go with them if he did steal them! The king's seal is on everything -"

Damn.

"No one knows anything about him -"

"He's got girly hair."

"Enough!"

I was surprised. Heero managed to bring everyone to silence with just the one word. He didn't even raise his voice.

"We'll talk to him. See if he's as good as they say. And then, if he is, we'll hire him - to be paid once we reach the fey court only."

"Agreed."

"Wufei?"

"Fine."

"Listening in?" a voice behind me asked, sounding mildly amused.

I smirked at Trowa. "Would I do that?"

"Just be glad I didn't tell them how incurably nosy you are. Now go, and don't stuff this up. You've got both our reputations riding on this."

"Not a prob," I said, heading over to join the knights and lady. "You called?"

"Yes," Heero said. "We were wondering if you could tell us what qualifications you have."

"Qualifications?" I raised an eyebrow. "Well, one, I lived here all my life. Two, I'm still alive and not missing any major body parts -"

"And how do you propose to lead us through the out-land?"

"My senses are pretty good," I said with a flick of my braid. "You've heard of course of the out-land's unique geography?"

"Does it move, like the writers say it does?" the lady asked. 

I winked at her. "Got it in one. So maps and memory aren't going to do you any good. You need a feeling about things fey . . ." something was tugging at me. Something - oh.

I smirked. So this was there idea of a test?

"Of course, milady, I don't think I need to tell you about this, do I?"

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked.

"It's not really my place to say," I said. "But she's got fey blood. It's distant, I'd say seven or so generations, but it's there . . . let me guess, harpie?"

"Selkie," she acknowledged with a nod.

The second knight nodded slowly. "You do have good senses."

"You need them to live out here," I nodded. "So?"

"Gather your things," the dark eyed knight said. Much to his companion's dismay I might add. "We leave in an hour."


	2. Wufei.

INSANELY EVER AFTER ****

KNIGHT FALL. 2.

**By girl_starfish.**

Wufei's POV.

This is great. I snort as the latest addition to our group gives an excited squeal and cheers. 

"You won't regret this!"

"Let's hope so," Heero meets my eyes and gives me a pained look. **We have to be prepared to make sacrifices.**

**Undoubtedly.** My thought reply is sour.

Heero nods, turning round to find himself eye to eye with our path finder. "What?" he demands.

"My pay?"

"Oh. Of course." Heero gives him the look that never fails to clear the court of officials, turning aside brusquely. "We can discuss that later."

"I want to discuss this now."

In spite of myself, I raise an eyebrow. He withstood the patented Heero glare? He's either very fool hardy or very thick. Neither boded well for this trip.

Heero gives him another look and evidently decides its not worth it. "Wufei will discuss this with you."

Oh, thank-you Heero.

I shoot him a dark look and he just smirks. If he wasn't who he was, I would be wiping the floor with him. 

"Come on," I say resignedly. "Let's get this sorted out."

The guide wanted the exorbitant fee of fifteen golds for his part in this. I can only imagine what the path-finder would ask for. 

**How much do you want me to give him?**

**I don't think five golds would be too extreme, do you?**

I snorted. Hell, we'd be lucky if five golds was all he wanted—

"How much do you want?" I asked.

"First I want to see your money."

He had the nerve to imply we would cheat him. I snorted pulling a wallet from my saddle bags. "Here," I said, showing him a gold. "Will this do?"

He blinked, eyes locked on the coin. "So shiny—" He whispered, stepping closer to me, invading my personal space. 

"Excuse me?" If it wasn't for the fact that a knight of my standing retreats for nothing, I would have stepped back. Something in his tone . . . 

"It's so pretty! Look how it sparkles—"

I squawked indignantly as the path-finder put his hand over my own. 

"No you don't—you get paid once we get to the fey court," I said, trying to put the coin away.

"Noooo! Want sparkly now!" He hung on to my hand. Trying to bat him away without dropping the purse or the coin, I somehow stumbled. 

That's how we ended up on the ground together, the fey brat twined around my chest.

"Sparkly!" The braided menace crowed, managing to pry it from my limp hand. I think I was in shock. "All mine!"

"Wufei?" Heero's voice intruded. I looked up to find him standing over us looking down with a fair degree of bemusement. "What are you doing?"

I just stared at him.

"No," Trowa saved me. "Duo, give me the coin."

"But its mine!" 

A brief tug of war ensued which ended in the pathfinder being removed from my chest and the coin taken off him. 

"You'll get it later," Trowa promised him. "Why don't you go ahead and find a safe path for us. Sooner you get us there, the sooner you get the coin to keep."

The fey brat pouted but agreed.

"What was that about?" Heero asked, as I, still in a state of numbness, was assisted to my feet.

"You didn't need to offer him a gold," Trowa informed me coolly. "A silver would have done, provided it was shiny enough."

"Shiny?" I said. It was the first word I'd managed to utter since that . . . that . . . outrage.

"Fey collect shiny things."

"Like magpies?" Quatre suggested hopefully.

"Like dragons," Trowa clarified. 

I was beginning to feel more like myself. "Just what exactly have we hired?"

Trowa shrugged. "Duo's very good at what he does. Just try to put up with his peculiarities . . . and keep all metal objects under careful watch." He nodded to us, before returning to the horses.

"Well," Heero said in a monotone. "This will be interesting."

"Interesting?" I demanded. "You think walking into a wilderness with a guide we don't know anything about, and who is most likely not even human, and who acts like a simpleton, is interesting?" I then proceeded to tell him at length what I thought it was, complete with hand gestures and an appropriate level of volume.

Heero kept nodding, despite the glazed look in his eyes. Quatre was urgently looking for an escape route—and I hadn't even got to my full capacity.

I am so under appreciated.

"Heero, be a dear and help me with these sandal bags?" The Lady Relena called. 

I ground my teeth. Does anyone have any idea how insulting it is to have a knight of Heero's standing, who incidentally is also my superior (in name only I must add), playing nurse-maid to a foolish noble-girl.

"Woman have no place on quests such as these," I snapped. "They are a weakness and a distraction."

Heero gave me a look but Relena laughed. 

"I suppose I'd be better off darning your socks, brave knight?"

"Hardly," I snorted. "I wouldn't let an onna like you near my socks!"

"Onna?" Relena asked.

"Woman," Heero clarified, showing her how to attach her saddle bags to the horse.

Relena looked at me for another moment. "You really need to work on your unreasonable dislike of anything female." 

"You should have stayed home," I told her. "You're totally unsuited for this quest. You should have stayed with your balls and diplomatic treaties—or better yet, with your brother—"

"Wufei, enough," Heero said. "Assist Quatre, please."

"Quatre's your squire," I said. "If anyone should be loading the onna's saddle bags it should be him."

"You know Quatre is not really my squire, anymore than we are just knights and Relena is a lady. So go and help him."

There was a muffled squeak from the direction of the pack horses.

"It appears Trowa is helping Quatre," I said. "How kind."

"Wufei has a point though. If I'm posing as a lady Heero, I should have some sort of attendent . . . " Relena left that hanging open expectantly.

My eyes widened as I realised her ploy.

By all the Gods, please let Heero not—

"Of course, I should have thought of that. Wufei, you will be so good as to assist the lady on her journey."

I ground my teeth. "Of course."

Heero patted my shoulder. "You can start with finishing her saddle bags."

Relena smirked as she watched me work.

"Stop that," I grumbled.

"Am I really that bad?" she asked. Her tone was serious.

"You—no." I had to admit. "I don't like your brother, and I don't trust your kingdom—but I trust Heero's judgement and Heero trusts you. So I'm stuck with you. And at least you're occasionally sensible and do not spend all of your time yapping about husbands and clothes and jewelry. But still . . . you do not know how to defend yourself."

"I don't believe in violence as a means to solving anything."

"Yet you insist on putting yourself in a position of serious danger. We don't need you here. You can't help us on this quest in any way."

"I couldn't stand back and let you and Heero go into danger on my behalf alone," Relena insisted.

"Why not? We've done it before. We're knights."

"Yes, but this is different. Also, I may be of use once we reach the fey court. Duo noticed my fey blood—it may be of use."

She had a point. "I suppose so."

"Furthermore, if we are successful the fey court will loose one member. You've heard of the gem's abilities?"

"Lady, with all due respect I am the scholar-knight! I have done more research on that gem—" I cut my rant short as Relena held up a manicured hand.

"A simple yes, would have done. So you know the gem grants wishes, but only a fey may activate it, and always at the cost of their sanity."

"It could be worse," I shrugged. "It could be their life."

"Its still a big thing to ask of anyone. I want to thank them in person."

I shrug, like her Highnesses' thanks will mean anything to the fey. "I think they'll be more interested in our gold," I said waving my hand towards the pack horses. "You saw the effect they had on our path finder. This should be easy."

"I don't know Wufei," Heero interrupted. "I have a feeling that things aren't quite as they seem here."

"It's the out-land. What do you expect?"

--oOo—

What I expected . . . wasn't this.

In all of the writings I'd read of the out-lands, from the ancient scrolls in the castle library to the most recent dissertations in the town university, no one ever mentioned how plain . . . unnerving they were. 

My horse shifted nervously beneath me, putting his ears back. I muttered something to comfort it, reflecting that I must overcome my uneasiness lest it be communicated to my companions. 

Looking around I reflected that it was probably too late for that. 

Relena's discomfiture was apparent and Trowa was looking wary. Heero was wearing an attitude of stoic grimness, which to someone who knew him as well as I did was a sure sign that he was uneasy. The only one of us who appeared even slightly happy was Quatre.

"This is fascinating! Have you looked at the grass?"

I averted my eyes. Heero answered sounding strained. 

"I'm trying not to."

The long grass rippled as we rode through it, silently, not a sound anywhere. I watched with a morbid sort of fascination as yet again the grass bowed in response to a gust of wind—a wind that did not, apparently, exist.

"Does the wind exist but only to the grass? Or are our senses not aware of it?" Quatre wondered.

"Please, Quatre, can't we just ignore it?" 

I had to agree with the onna. It wasn't weakness, when we'd first entered the out-land we'd found the phenomenon similarly interesting. But it wore away at you, the oddness of the landscape, the way everything just screamed 'wrong!' at you.

"You get used to it," Trowa told me. 

I looked at him. "Are you used to it?"

He shrugged. "No."

He moved on, to where Quatre was bubbling away enthusiastically. 

Just great. 

Looking for something to distract me, I snapped, "Where is our so-called path-finder?"

I froze as a hand tickled my chin. "Aw, you missed me already?"

Duo yelped as I threw the both of us from my horse and pointed my gun at him.

"Oh, it's you," I said.

I returned my gun to its place in my belt, well aware the rest of our group was staring at me. "Do not sneak up on me again if you wish to live."

Duo pouted, rubbing his backside as he stood up. "Man, you need to lighten up."

I frowned. It was hard to believe I'd first taken our path-finder for human. Then again, fey creatures were generally confined to the out-land and border towns. Part bloods, like Trowa might travel, but it was rare to find the fey beyond their lands. Odd that. According to the scrolls, they once roamed the entire land . . .

Whatever his history, it was clear that Duo had a good deal of fey in him. Nothing else could explain the violet hue of his eyes, his almost lustful pursuit of the 'shiny' coin, or the alien grace with which he moved—not simply graceful, as Trowa was, or his movements balanced like Heero's with potential for deadliness. Rather, it was as though he walked in the same plane that the wind that tossed the grass blew. Like the grass, he was both fascinating and disturbing.

"Where have you been?" I demanded. "You're supposed to be guiding us."

He grinned at me, thoroughly undisturbed by my anger. "Actually that's Trowa's job. I'm path finder, and that's exactly what I've been doing."

"How is it?" Trowa asked.

Duo shrugged. "Pretty stable, except just up ahead. I hope you guys brought warm clothes!" 

"Why is that?" Heero asked.

"You'll see soon enough," Trowa said. "Will it change?"

"I'm not sure. This far out, there's not much of interest so changes are usually slower. But you can never tell." The pathfinder shrugged. "It's what makes life exciting, right?"

I stifled a smile as Heero stared blankly at him. My lord was probably having a hard time digesting such a carefree attitude.

My smile faded as about ten minutes later we discovered just what exactly Duo had meant. One minute we were walking through golden fields of grass, and the next, stumbling under the bite of a vicious frost-laden wind.

"Tallk about micro-climates," Heero deadpanned. I was not impressed.

"Where the hell did this come from?" I demanded at the top of my lungs.

"One of the out-land's specialities," Trowa shouted back. "It's varying weather conditions."

"See you guys later!" Duo chirped, making his way ahead of us. "I'm going to see if I can't find a quicker way out of this."

He was quickly hidden from sight behind a snow drift. Only his voice drifted back to us—"Gone away is the bluebird. Here to stay is a new bird—"

I sighed, pulling my coat closer around me. This was going to be a long trip.


	3. Quatre

****

KNIGHT FALL #3 – Quatre.

I hummed as I flipped through my magic books. What an absolutely fascinating day! I couldn't wait to record what had happened— my impressions of the out-land, our meeting with Duo, what we'd learned of the fey, Trowa—

Beside me a small fire burned. If you looked closely, you might notice that the wood it burned from was not actually touched. Magic fires were so much easier to contain, and less hassle than a kerosene lamp or oven. Plus they were better for the environment. 

I turned another page. I was glad to get a chance to settle down at last with my books. Although I was fascinated by the wild magic of the out-land, I had to admit I was not used to such strenuous activity. That last hour's walk through the snow drifts had been horrible. I was never so relieved as when Heero called a halt for the sake of me and Relena. Wufei looked as though he could have walked all night and made it clear that he thought stopping a waste of time.

Once in my tent though, and sheltered from the horrible weather, I could finally devote myself to my magic. Turning the page I at last discovered the spell I wanted and set to work.

Half an hour later, Heero and Wufei came in, having finished putting up the rest of the tents.

"Quatre? We need to discuss the rest of the mission as well as the wards for tonight."

"Of course," I said distractedly. One moment."

They waited patiently (or, in Wufei's case, with the bare semblance of patience) as I finished casting the spell.

"Done," I said, picking up the mirror triumphantly.

Heero and Wufei looked interested. "You've bespelled it, Quatre?"

"Yes."

"To do what? Show the future? Spy on possible enemies? Communicate with the castle?"

"No. This mirror will now let you see what's behind you."

"Behind you," Heero said flatly.

I looked at him, frowning. Something wrong? "Oh yes. I've been trying for the last hour or so to look at my rear and an ordinary mirror just won't do."

"Quatre — why do you need to look at your… rear?" Wufei asked.

Now he was talking like Heero was. "Well when we were saddling the horses this morning Trowa said I had a nice ass. And then he pinched it. Like that." I demonstrated.

"Quatre, your sisters didn't let you get out much, did they?"

"Of course they did!" I said indignantly. "I was allowed to go to the market every Wednesday, with bodyguards."

"What Heero means is they didn't let you, well, date, did they?"

"No. Iria said that a wizard shouldn't date until he is at least one hundred."

"Ah." Heero put the mirror aside. "We're going to have to have a little talk with you sometime, Quatre."

"Yes?" I said expectantly."

"But not tonight."

Wufei coughed. It sounded like he'd said 'chicken' but I could be mistaken. Then again, Heero was glaring at him… then again, this was Heero.

"I've already put the wards in place," I said, turning back to my books. "I haven't activated them yet because I needed my books for the formulas. You see, I'm not sure how to set wards that will guard us against all the different changes the landscape might go through tonight so instead, I was thinking of building one barrier to surround our camp and bespell that using Wingman's third law of homogenuity –"

"In English, wizard."

I glared at Wufei. "Imagine a cake tin. If you want to keep you cake safe, you put it in a cake tin. I'm going to make the magical equivalent to surround our camp."

"A magic cake tin?"

"Yes."

"Cake tin?"

"It's only a parallel," I sighed. Heero still didn't look happy.

Neither did Wufei. "Do cake tins have breathing holes?"

"Forget about the cake tins!" I snapped. "I'm going to protect this camp! Now, if you two don't stop arguing with me, I'll turn you into radishes!"

They stopped arguing with me. 

"There was one more thing, Quatre. That's if you're not busy or anything."

"Not at all, Heero," I smiled pleasantly. "What is it?"

"Wufei was wondering if you'd sensed anything… untoward… about our pathfinder."

"What, Duo?" 

"Yes, Duo. How many cursed pathfinders do we have?" 

Surprise, surprise. Wufei was grumpy. I tried to ignore the rant going on and thought about what I'd sensed that day about our pathfinder. "Um, he seems pleasant enough. I haven't picked up any hostility. A little annoyance when Trowa took the coin away from him, but he'd forgotten that minutes later."

"Attention span of a gnat –"

"He's got the weirdest aura I've ever seen," I said, cutting Wufei off before his new rant could even get started. "You should look at it, it's amazing. I don't think this has been seen in any of my courses –"

"Quatre," Heero said patiently. "You need to be a wizard to see auras."

"Oh," I blushed. "Silly me."

"So what is so special about Duo's aura?" Wufei snapped. He hates when I know stuff they don't. 

"It's always changing," I said. "Just like the landscape. I don't think that's ever been recorded before—"

"And that means what?" Heero asked.

"I don't know. I've never encountered it before," I had to admit.

Wufei snorted. "Great."

Heero put a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Quatre. Can you let us know if you see him using any magic?"

"You mean besides the basics? Sure," I nodded turning back to my books.

"Hang on — besides the basics?" Heero paused on the threshold.

"Yeah. You know. The first spells everyone is taught. How to make fire, how to put the fire out, how to treat burns. The obvious ones."

"Obvious?"

"They're so basic it's really easy to see them," I supplied. "Like the grass is green, the sky is blue, there's a listening spell on Heero —"

Two voices simultaneously said, "Listening spell?"

I blinked at them. "You didn't know?"

"Obviously not," Heero said coolly as Wufei waved his arms around dramatically. 

"Do we look like magic-users here? Wizards!!"

"But you two can use mind-speech. That's a really high level magic," I protested.

"O thought that the concentration involved in learning that particular magic would teach us necessary discipline and how to summon inner peace and harmony," Wufei snapped. 

"J taught us a little extra — stealth, healing, that sort of thing but we know hardly any theory. Even of the basics," Heero said.

"Really? You mean — you can't see spells?"

"Not quite," Wufei admitted.

"Not even a little bit?"

"So explain this listening spell," Heero requested.

"It does what it sounds like. Lets someone hear something." I picked at the spell. "In this case Duo wanted to listen to… oh, this looks like our discussion over whether we should hire him."

"Injustice! Outrage! Impertinence!"

"I see."

"I'm going to gut him —"

"Is the spell working now?"

"No," I said, trying to ignore Wufei. "Duo terminated it when we'd finished talking about him. He's left this end open, though, so that he could pick it up again if he wanted to."

"I knew we shouldn't have hired him," Wufei said. "I knew we couldn't trust him."

"Why didn't you inform us of this?" Heero asked me.

I shrugged. "Basically because it's so widespread out here. It's a common use of a magic. Like masks. Almost everyone at the village we left had one."

"A mask?"

"Magical representation of what they want to appear like. Basically people don't trust each other out here. It's a fact of life."

"Quatre," Heero said, sitting beside me. "You said before that Duo had left this end open. Does that mean there is another end?"

"Yes, the connection at his end."

"So we could listen to him now?"

"Well yes, if we wanted to."

Heero seemed to be waiting for something. I looked at him. 

"Well?"

"Could you activate the spell, please?"

"Oh, you want to see what he's doing! Oh, sure. Coming right up."

I set the spell in motion.

"Well?" Wufei said impatiently.

"Shush," I said, trying to concentrate. "This isn't easy you know. I've found Duo, but it's hard getting him to be audible. Kind of like trying to tune a radio without having any stations marked."

"— so I don't want any of you going after them. They're my property, got that?"

It was recognizably Duo's voice.

"Says you." This voice was harsher, laced with cunning. If a rock could talk, it would use that voice.

"You got a problem with that?"

"This is our land. Boss says everything that comes on here is ours."

"That's right." Another voice.

"So what you gonna do?" And another.

"Look guys, we've got on well so far, but if you push me, you're going to find out why the trolls call me 'Shinigami.' 

"Shinigami?" Heero whispered.

I shook my head, trying to take notes. "Not a term I'm familiar with."

"Trolls are stupid,' the first voice snorted. "You don't scare us, brat."

"Yeah well, maybe you should reconsider. After all, they're going to see the King and I'm pretty certain he won't like it if you eat his guests —"

"Eat?" Heero and Wufei said in unison.

"Quiet!" I hissed. 

"Fine," the first voice replied sulkily. "Lead them through our land. We won't try and stop you… but if any of them stray into our caverns, they're ours."

No more talking after that… but the sound of snow falling. 

"He's heading back," I said, terminating the spell.

"I don't like that," Wufei said. "He called us his property."

"But it sounded as though he was just doing his job trying to protect us," Heero nodded to me. "Thank-you, Quatre. Notify us if you encounter any more spells."

"Of course." I bowed politely as he and Wufei departed. As soon as the tent flap fell closed behind them I picked up the mirror. Finally I could see what Trowa had meant…

--oOo—

"Wakey-wakey people! Rise and shine!"

I moaned groggily, trying to pull the covers back over my head. How the hell had Wufei managed to find a loud hailer out here?

"Come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover today!"

That wasn't a loud hailer. That was Duo. I sighed and pulled myself out of bed. Clothes were found and pulled on mechanically, my body was on autopilot. Grumbling to myself about inordinately early wake up times, I flung the tent door back — and was suddenly face to face with Trowa.

"Oh — hello," I stuttered, my face immediately reddening.

"Hello." Trowa's face was as red as mine. I fumbled for anything to say. Trowa beat me to it.

"Here. For you."

I blinked at the handful of flowers held out to me. "Thank-you." I smelled the blossoms appreciatively. "They're lovely! But — are these bluebells? Where on earth did you find bluebells in this snow?"

Trowa laughed, pointing at the landscape. "We had a change of weather."

I stared. Snow still clung around the tents, but beyond that lay green grass and sweet smelling flowers. Huge oak trees towered above them, looking for all the world like an Ancient forest.

"At least we know your wards work fine," Heero said, coming over to me. I blinked, Trowa was nowhere to be seen. "If you want breakfast, you should hurry. Our pathfinder is displaying quite the appetite."

"That's disgusting. At least chew before you swallow!"

"Hey, if you don't like, don't look. Morning, Q-man, how did you sleep?"

"Fine thanks, Duo," I said, sitting beside him. Helping myself to what was left of the food, I said, "So what's on the agenda for today?"

"Agenda?"

"What do you have lined up for us? Where will we be traveling, what out-land creatures will we see?"

"Man, you really get off on this, don't you?"

"Excuse me?" I blinked.

Trowa tugged roughly on Duo's braid. "Manners."

"Ow! Leave my braid out of this!" Duo sulked then forgot all about his injury as he answered my question. "We're traveling through goblin territory today. Hopefully we'll get lucky and we won't see any of them… but all you guys stick to the path, okay? You can't trust goblins."

"You're worried about goblins?" Wufei sounded incredulous.

"I'm not talking about the kind you saw at Ironclaw. They're so dependent on humans they're practically domesticated. No, these goblins are different. For one, they're bigger, meaner, even smarter. Two, they always hunt in groups. People tend to underestimate them because they're not much individually but in a group… all of us together would be a match for them, but don't go wandering off alone, okay?"

"They sound fascinating," I said. "Do you think they're a different species?"

"They sound dangerous," Heero corrected, joining our group with the lady Relena. "Don't you decide to get a closer look or anything, okay?"

"Fine," I promised reluctantly.

We set off soon after. Duo decided to accompany us, whether through concern for our safety or a desire to annoy Wufei, I'm not sure. He and Relena had discovered their common interest and there was soon a steady stream of curses and laughter drifting back from the front of the group. I would have felt sorry for Wufei… if I hadn't been so busy listening to what Trowa was saying.

"There are many types of fey, Quatre, from goblins, trolls, ogres, teyrs, to the human looking ones, pixies, fairies, nymphs, selkie. But under each of those headings there's a huge variety. I can think of at least five different types of goblins, and the human like ones vary enormously depending on whether or not they have human ancestors."

"What about elves?" I asked.

"Elves?"  
"Where do they fit?"

"I don't know. I don't even know for sure if they exist — after all, no human has seen one for hundreds of years."

"But isn't the fey king supposed to be elven?"

"Yes, but no one has seen him for hundreds of years either."

"Do you think Duo knows?"

Trowa shrugged. "If there is anyone who does, it will be Duo."

There was a shriek from up ahead, followed by a couple of angry shouts. Trowa and I exchanged a glance and then hurried up to join the group.

When we got there Relena was looking aggrieved. Duo was sitting on the ground rubbing his head and scowling, while Wufei and Heero, also scowling pointed their guns at him.

"What happened?" I asked.

"That… ruffian tried to lay his hands on me!" Relena snapped.

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Duo?"

"Jeez, talk about ungrateful! I try to save her life and this is what happens —"

"Save her life?" Heero said sharply.

Duo sulked and pointed. There was a ring of feathery brown mushrooms not far from the side of the path. 

"I think I see," Trowa said. "Milady, were you thinking of entering the ring?"

"What ring?" Relena said. "I was just going to gather some of those exquisite snowdrops."

Trowa shook his head. "That, milady, is a ring. It's extremely unwise to enter one — doing so places you in the power of whoever built it. You could be put into a sleep that lasts a hundred years, transported to the goblin caverns, who knows?"

The four of us in-landers stared at the ring in silence. So innocent looking… yet, how close it had brought us to tragedy —

"Don't all rush to thank me at once!" Duo said, with a flip of his braid. "I'm going to go, check the area around here. I'll catch up with you later —" he paused then pinched Heero's rear. "That's if you can stay out of trouble that long!"

I had to smile at the expression on Heero's face. If someone had told him that his mother was an elf and his father was Santa Claus, I don't think he could have produced a more stunned expression.

The silence was broken by Trowa. "May I suggest we take a lunch break while we wait for Duo to return? I don't particularly want to continue without him."

This was agreed to. During my lunch my eyes kept straying back to the ring… I had to see how the portal was constructed —

"What are you doing?" Trowa asked as he watched me pull out my magic books and poke around the ring. "Quatre, I have serious misgiving about the wisdom of this."

"I know what I'm doing," I replied. "I'm a qualified wizard."

"And here I thought you were just a squire."

I flushed, looking guiltily up at him. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to tell —"

"It's all right. It's pretty obvious you're not who you say you are — no ordinary knights would be interested in reaching the fey court."

"We're not ordinary knights. I can't tell you more than that — sorry," I said.

He nodded. "I understand. There's stuff I haven't told you."

Wondering what that could be I returned to my calculations. "There! I think I've got it!"

"Got what?"

"The spell that commands the ring. I think I've neutralized it."

"Are you sure?" Trowa watched doubtfully as I climbed into the ring. 

"Of course," I knelt to better see the inner workings of the spell. "This is fascinating — just look at this recoil command —"

"Quatre, look out!"

I barely had time to look up before I was shoved out of the ring, hard. Pulling myself off the ground I turned to question Trowa — only to see a bright light fade from the ring.

The portal had been activated.

Trowa was nowhere in sight.


End file.
